When Not in Rome
by Axelrocks
Summary: Lizzie knew that Gordo wouldn't have forgotten the events of Rome in the month she had been grounded. But just in case, she had an evening planned that would refresh his memory. Especially that kiss they shared. LG fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**I know _Lizzie McGuire_ has been off the air for 13 years, but I recently watched the _Lizzie McGuire Movie_ and realized how much I love the movie, the show and Lizzie/Gordo. So I binged watched the entire show in like three days and fell in love all over again. I know fanfiction for the show is not what it once was but after watching the movie, I REALLY wanted to write some LG fluff and if I'm going to write it, why not post it to ff, too? I hope someone reads this. If not, I enjoyed writing this anyway.**

* * *

Rome. The Eternal City. The City of Romance.

Had it only been a month since she, Lizzie McGuire, had set foot on its beautiful soil and sung with one of its international popstars (The cool one, Isabella. Not Paolo. Ick)?

Yes, it had been a month. One boring, stupid _grounded_ month. Thirty days with no access to a phone or computer. Making Lizzie feel as if she was living in the Stone Ages. It was like her parents' very own version of medieval torture. One afternoon, she had even played some stupid board game with Matt. _Matt_! Her little troll of a brother, who was also on punishment. (Now, she knew how that video of graduation had ended up on CNN. Brat.)

All in all, Lizzie knew she had deserved every moment of her grounding. She was lucky her parents didn't send her off to a boarding school. Sneaking out of a hotel in a foreign city with some guy she barely knew. What had she been thinking?

Oh, she had been thinking that Paolo had been cute, sweet and...had she said cute, yet? Lizzie wished she could take back all those times out of the hotel. If she had, things would have been different. _Much_ different.

Well, she was going to fix that.

That afternoon, Lizzie emerged from her room dressed in only her pajamas (if she wasn't going out, what was the point of putting on normal clothes?) and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Jo and Sam McGuire were both there preparing dinner, like they normally did most nights.

They looked up when they heard Lizzie walk into the kitchen. "Hello, Lizzie," her dad greeted. "Or should I say good morning?" He smiled and went back to chopping up the onion on the cutting board in front of him.

"Hey, mom. Hey, dad." She rolled her eyes at her father's joke and took a seat on one of the barstools.

"Is there something you need, honey?" Her mom wiped her hands on a dishcloth and walked closer to her daughter.

"Um...kinda."

"What is it?"

"You know how tomorrow is my last day of being grounded?" She started. "And the day after tomorrow, you and dad are having on a date night?"

"Yes," her mom said slowly.

"Well, um, I was wondering if Gordo could come over then?"

"Of course!" Her mom exclaimed and smiled widely. "He's always welcome over here and we've missed him this past month."

They weren't the only ones.

"Great! And I was also wondering if I could make us some dinner." Her parents both looked up then and she hurried on, "You know, something like spaghetti. That's easy to make, right?"

"I don't know, honey..."

"Please, mom." Lizzie hopped from her chair to stand in front of her mom. "You let me bake all the time if you're not home."

"That doesn't involve an open flame," her dad added with a point from the knife in his hand.

"Please," she begged. "I'll be super careful and I'll clean up the mess afterwards. Please."

Jo and Sam looked at one another before Jo finally spoke. "All right. But-" She wasn't able to finish before Lizzie jumped into her arms and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She turned to head back to her room to tell someone...okay, not someone since she had no phone. She'd have to settle for her journal, then.

"Not so fast," her mom stopped her. "You've never cooked before, so I'll help you start it before we leave."

"Awesome! Thank you so much, mom and dad."

"And if your first cooking venture becomes a success, we may have you take over the meals from now on," her dad teased.

"Oh, and can I call Gordo to see if he can come over. It'll only be fifteen minutes."

"Ten," her mom bartered. "And tell him hi from us."

"Will do!" Lizzie beamed at her parents (weren't they just the coolest?) and ran upstairs to get her phone. Before she reached the room, Matt poked his head out from his bedroom.

"Hey, Lizzie. Wanna play UNO later?"

"Sure!" Lizzie was so happy that she didn't even care that she had just agreed to play another game with her annoying little brother.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gordo. It's me, Lizzie." Lizzie was sitting on the edge of her bed, smiling so big that her face hurt. It had been so long since she had heard his voice and she missed it. A lot.

"Hey!" Gordo sounded just as excited to be talking to her. "Are you ungrounded now?" There was hope in his voice.

 _He totally missed me!_ She wanted to scream, but the more practical part of her brain spoke. _Of course he missed you. You_ are _his best friend._ _I bet he misses Miranda, too._

"Uh, Lizzie. You still there?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. And no, I'm not ungrounded, yet. One more day, though. So, I was wondering if you wanted to come over Saturday night," she rushed on. "We could watch a movie and I'll cook us dinner."

"You, cook? Since when?"

"Since now and you better like what I make."

"If I don't?"

"You don't want to know, Mr. Gordon."

Oh, God. Was she actually flirting with Gordo? Well, she had kissed him in Rome and this month without him or Miranda around, she had spent a lot of time in her head (which may not have been the best thing) and she decided that she kinda, sorta, maybe just a little- okay, okay! She liked Gordo, her best friend. _A lot_!

"Uh, well. I should go. My mom gave me only ten minutes to talk. See you on, Saturday. Around five-thirty?"

"Sure, it's a date- uh! I mean, yeah I'll be there."

Lizzie smiled softly to herself as she hung up with Gordo and stared at the phone in her hand before putting it back on the cradle. Saturday could not come fast enough! She flopped back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling, heart racing and stomach fluttering.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Don't worry, mom," she called. "I'm off the phone."

Instead of her mother's head poking through the doorway, it was her brother's spiky one. In his hand, he had a deck of cards. "You ready to play now, Lizzie? Or should I leave you alone to think about your _booyyyfriend_?"

Though things had been good between the two siblings in the past month, Matt was still a worm. But even his brattiness could dampen her good mood.

* * *

 **There will be another part. So stay tuned! :)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I lied. There will be one more chapter after this.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Saturday came fast. Surprisingly.

It took Lizzie seven different outfit changes to finally pick out what she wanted to wear when Gordo came over. Not that he would have noticed the clothes she wore and they way she did her hair. But she still wanted to look pretty for him. Even though Gordo had seen her at her worst.

Finally, Lizzie was satisfied with her clothing choices and rushed down the stairs. Her parents were going to be leaving soon and her mom had said she'd help start the spaghetti.

Jo McGuire was already standing in the kitchen with an apron covering her pretty red dress. On the stove was a pan, which was already starting to brown the meat in. "Okay, honey," she said and looked up to smile at her daughter. "First, the meat needs to be browned all the way through." She took a fork and started to ground the meat in the pan. Lizzie had seen her mom make spaghetti before and went to search for the large pot they put the noodles in. She filled it with water and set it on one of the back burners, waiting for it to come to a boil.

"Once the meat is done, you need to drain the grease in the sink and then, put it back in the pan so you can pour the sauce in." Jo pointed to the pot. "You'll know that the noodles are cooked when you can take one and throw it against the wall. It'll stick if it's cooked, it won't stick if it's not." At Lizzie's odd look, she smiled. "It's what my mom used to tell me."

Lizzie smiled. "All right. So it sticks, it's done. It doesn't stick, it's not done. Got it."

Sam McGuire walked into the kitchen then, straightening his red tie. "Ready, Jo?" He looked at the stove, then his daughter and smiled. "That smells good, Lizzie."

"Mom started it." Lizzie took the fork from her mom. "Thanks, mom. For helping me."

"No problem, sweetie." Jo pulled her into a hug. "I hope Gordo likes it."

"He better."

Her mom laughed and undid the apron to slide over Lizzie's head. "We'll see you around ten, okay?" She kissed her cheek. "Oh, and Matt is spending the night at Lanny's, so you don't have to worry about him."

"Thank you," she breathed, relieved. The last thing she needed was to have her annoying little brother underfoot, especially tonight.

"Don't burn the house down while we're gone." From any other dad, it would have been a joke, but Lizzie's dad was completely serious.

"I won't and I know where the fire extinguisher is."

"Good. Have a good night, honey."

Lizzie waved bye to her parents and continued to watch the browning meat. Spaghetti _was_ easy to make, but that wasn't why she had picked it out for tonight. She had picked it out for the same reason why she had gotten gelato for dessert and chose the movie she had picked out. Gordo was smart and she was hoping he picked up on what she was doing.

When it was time to pour the sauce over the meat, Lizzie stirred it all together (and may have taken a taste or three to make sure it was perfect). A song, one that fit with food and her plan for that, popped into her head and she started to sing, " _When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's am-"_

"Don't you ever stop singing?"

Lizzie surpassed a scream and looked up to see her best friend standing on the other side of the island, giving her his crooked smile. (which she found totally cute!)

"When did you get here?" She asked, suddenly feeling nervous and shy. Which she shouldn't. This was Gordo, after all!

"When you started singing." He took a seat on one of the barstools. "I hope you don't mind that I just walked in."

"N-No, of course not." Lizzie put all of her attention on the sauce and tried not look his way, lest he saw her burning face.

Gordo must have noticed something was a little off. "Uh, I didn't mean anything bad about the singing comment," he said. "You sing great, so you can keep doing it if you want."

"Not when I have an audience," she replied, feeling a little more like herself.

"Come on, you sang in front of _thousands_ just a month ago."

"Don't remind me," she mumbled. That had been a once in a lifetime things. Most days she was still surprised she hadn't tripped or fainted on stage. Now, that would have been very Lizzie-like of her.

"So, uh do you need any help? I mean, you didn't have to make us a big dinner or anything. We could have just had a pizza or something."

"I wanted to make it." Lizzie turned the burner off for the sauce and placed a lid on top to keep it warm. "Do you want to throw a noodle at the wall?" At his confused look, she giggled and explained. "Throw a noodle at the wall, if it sticks, then its done."

"And if doesn't, then it's not done. Sure. I'll never turn down throwing food." Gordo got up and walked around to stand by Lizzie. She fished two noodles from the pot with a fork, blew on them to cool them down and they each took one.

Gordo threw his first and laughed when it stuck to the wall. Lizzie went next, but threw hers too hard and it just bounced off onto the counter. "Well, at least yours is sticking," she said. "So, that means it's done."

"Great! I'm starving. I'll get the plates." Gordo grabbed two plates and silverware while Lizzie poured the sauce and noodles into serving dishes. It would be weird to sit at the table just the two of them, since normally when they hung out they ate on the couch.

Lizzie took each dish one at a time, not wanting to risk tripping and dropping everything on the floor. That would have ruined her plans. Gordo went to the fridge and asked what she wanted to drink, which she replied water.

Soon everything was set and Lizzie started to feel nervous again. This was just Gordo, she repeated to herself. But the whole plan of the night was for him to remember the kiss or at least have a discussion about it. At first, she hadn't know what that kiss had meant to her, but over the course of the month, she realized that she had liked it and wanted more from her best friend.

"Uh, dig in," she said when Gordo looked at her from across the table.

"Great!" He smiled and immediately started to fill his plate. "It smells awesome!"

"I'm glad." Lizzie smiled secretly to herself and on her mental notebook, she put a checkmark by 'Spaghetti Dinner'.

Things were normal between the two as they conversed between bites of spaghetti. It was almost as if a month of radio silence hadn't passed between them. Knowing each other since birth, the moment they no longer had something to talk about was probably the moment one of them was dead. (Which would not happen for a very _very_ long time from now).

"You know, McGuire. I think this is the best spaghetti I have ever had," Gordo said over seconds. She had yet to finish her first.

"Even better than what you had in Italy?"

"I didn't have any in Italy. Ethan always talked about it, but Ms. Ungermeyer never made it happen. Though, I'm pretty sure that last night there, Kate had spaghetti sauce on her chin." He shrugged and swirled some noodles around his fork.

 _This is it, Lizzie! He mentioned the last night in Rome, the night you two kissed. Just casually mention it. Come on..._

"Gordo?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh...um." _Oh no!_ Her cursed stuttering. "Uh, do you want some more water?"

Gordo gave her an odd look as he passed her his glass. Knowing one another since birth also meant that they knew each other almost as much as they knew themselves. RIght now, Gordo definitely knew something was up, but didn't say anything. "Sure. Thanks."

"No problem." She beamed and stood to refill their glasses.

So far, not so good. Rome had been mentioned, the kiss had not. Lizzie kind of hoped that Gordo would be the one to bring it up. After all, he was the braver of the two... but who was the one who had sung in front of thousands.

"After this, do you want dessert first or the movie?" Lizzie brought the glass back and took her seat.

"Uh, well. I'm kind of full now, so movie first?"

"Okay! I hope you like it." Knowing Gordo, he had already seen the movie, since his movie collection was extensive. It had won several Oscars. Lizzie was glad that her father had owned it on DVD.

"What is it?"

"You'll see." Lizzie smiled and Gordo narrowed his eyes.

Together, they cleaned up the dishes. Lizzie put the leftover spaghetti into a tupperware container while Gordo filled up the sink with hot, sudsy water. No words had been spoken, but they worked like a well-oiled machine. As Lizzie washed and rinsed the dishes, Gordo used a washcloth and cleaned the stove and countertops.

"You know, you don't have to help," Lizzie said over her shoulder at her best friend. "You are a guest, after all." Not that she was minding the extra help, but tonight was special and she didn't want Gordo think she expected him to help out.

Gordo paused long enough enough to give Lizzie a look. "I've been over here for dinner hundreds of times, Lizzie. Out of those hundreds of times, how many of them have I not helped or not asked to help?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes playfully. "None, Mr. Smarty McHelpful."

"Thank you," he quipped and finished wiping down the counter. Next, he moved on to drying and putting away the dishes. He knew where every single one belonged.

Things had grown silent as they worked in tandem to finish cleaning the kitchen. These kind of silences weren't uncommon in their friendship and they weren't uncomfortable. Being around Gordo seemed to always be a comfort for Lizzie, even when they had been small.

"So," Gordo broke the silence. "Have you talked to Miranda, yet?"

"No. Today is my first day off punishment and I haven't had the time. Have you?" Before leaving for Mexico, Miranda had given them both a number to reach her at.

"Once. She called me about two weeks ago and asked how the school trip was."

"And what did you say?" _Horrible, because your best friend ditched you for some Italian popstar, who turned out to be a jerk_. Lizzie wouldn't have blamed him one bit if that was what he had said. Honestly, she was surprised that he was still so friendly with her. Especially with how she had treated him.

"That it was great. I learned a lot about Rome's history, architecture and pop culture." He gave her a look that, for once, Lizzie was unable to decipher.

"O-Oh, and how did she say Mexico was?"

"Hot." He chuckled. "And that she misses us and can't wait to catch up when she gets back next month."

Lizzie smiled. "I can't wait to catch up with her, too. I have _a lot_ to tell her." And hopefully, after tonight, being in a new relationship would be one of them.

* * *

 **One more chapter to go! :)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the last part! *sniff* I hope you all enjoy! :)**

* * *

Gordo was in the kitchen making them a bowl of popcorn while Lizzie was setting the movie up in the living room. The ending ding of the microwave signaled that the popcorn was done and that Gordo would be appearing soon. Lizzie fast forwarded all the previews and paused it right before the movie actually began.

Lizzie fidgeted by the couch, but didn't sit down. No, it was crucial that Gordo took a seat first. When he arrived with the bowl of popcorn in his hands, she beamed. "That smells awesome!"

"Popcorn always smells awesome," Gordo replied with a smile of his own.

"Go on and sit down. I have to grab the remote." Lizzie knew it would look a little weird if she stood beside the couch and waited for Gordo to sit, so she had purposefully placed the remote back on the TV, giving her an excuse not to take a seat yet.

"So, what are we watching?"

"You've asked like five times, Gordo." Lizzie rolled her eyes. "You'll see very soon."

"Hey, can you blame me? I'm secretly afraid that you're forcing me to watch a chick flick." He popped a few fluffy kernels in his mouth and chewed.

"Oh, Gordo, when have I ever done that to you?"

He fixed her with a look.

"Oh...right."

Finally she retrieved the remote and walked back to the couch. This was it. Lizzie took a deep breath and sat right next to Gordo. That wasn't the hard part, they always sat next to one another when they watched movies. However, this time, instead of the normal few inches between them, Lizzie was almost plastered to his side.

Lizzie acted as if everything was normal and reached for a handful of popcorn. "Ready?" She looked up at him, surprised at how close they really were. Gordo's blue eyes were wide and he could only nodded.

"Great." Lizzie pressed play and then, tossed the remote on the other side of the couch.

The movie started and Gordo lost his shocked look at having Lizzie so close, but when he saw what the movie was, a different surprised look emerged on his face. " _Gladiator_?" He asked. "I didn't think you would ever watch this kind of movie. I mean, it's about as far from a romantic comedy as you can get."

Lizzie shrugged. "It's one of my dad's favorites and I just thought you would like to watch it. Hopefully, it'll make up for all the times Miranda and I dragged you to sappy love story movies."

"More than makes up for it. It's one of my favorites." His eyes went back to the TV screen and he became engrossed in the movie while Lizzie smiled secretly to herself.

* * *

Lizzie found herself somewhat enjoying the movie (okay, she was liking it a lot. Don't tell Miranda!). Outside it was growing dark and Lizzie found herself curling into Gordo's side. They had finished the popcorn a while before and the empty bowl sat on the table in front of them. Now, Gordo's hands fidgeted in his lap and Lizzie wondered how he would react if she were to grab one and hold it. But she didn't.

As the end credits rolled, Lizzie was disappointed that only their shoulders touched and neither one had been brave enough to hold hands. She had one last chance. Grabbing the empty bowl, she stood. "Ready for dessert? Wait for me out on the deck and I'll bring it out."

"Okay," he said, voice soft. Without looking at her, he made his way to the sliding doors and slipped outside.

"All right, McGuire," she said to herself and placed the empty bowl on the counter. "This is your last chance, you got this." Lizzie grabbed two bowls and filled them up with raspberry gelato she had asked her mom to get from the store a few days ago.

"Here." Lizzie walked out onto the deck and takes a seat next to Gordo on the stairs. He took the offered bowl. "It's raspberry gelato. I hope its good." She took a bite and looked at Gordo, whose brow was furrowed and eyes distant.

"Something wrong?"

Gordo shook his head and looked at her. "No, I was just thinking about something."

"What?" She asked, sounding a little hopeful. The kiss?

"Nothing important."

"Oh."

Together, they sat in silence and ate their desserts. Lizzie knew that she had only about an hour until her parents came home, meaning she had an hour to bring up the kiss. Of course, that could be done in five freaking minutes if she would just open her mouth!

"All we need now is a great view and some fireworks," she muttered and started morosely into her empty bowl. If only she hadn't allowed them to walk off the roof without talking first. Things could have been different, their relationship could have been different. But at the time, she had been so confused. So many things had happened in her life in those few days in Rome, she didn't know what to do.

"What did you say, Lizzie?"

"Nothing," she sighed.

"Lizzie. I have to ask you something."

Lizzie looked up. "Yeah?"

"The spaghetti for dinner and the gelato for dessert, there's a reason for it. Isn't there?"

"You forgot the movie, too." Finally! It looked like Gordo was catching on.

"The movie? Oh! The Coliseum, gladiators...Rome."

Lizzie smiled. "And I thought you would like it better than _Sabrina Goes to Rome_ and _When in Rome_ with the Olsen twins." Both movies had been on her mind before she saw _Gladiator_ on the shelf.

"I did. So, all of this was to remind us of Rome. Why?"

Lizzie fidgeted with the bowl in her hands and refused to look his way. "It was to hopefully help you remember something that happened while we were in Rome."

"You singing on stage?"

She shook her head.

"Paolo?"

"No!" She cried. "I never want to remember him again. Ever!" Gordo looked relieved at this, but still was confused about the whole thing.

"Then, what?"

"The kiss, Gordo! The kiss we shared on the roof." It felt so good to finally let that out. It had been bottled up inside her for the past month and she had been surprised she hadn't exploded because of it.

"Oh. That. I thought you wanted to forget about it." This time it was Gordo not making the eye contact.

"What? No!"

"Well, you never really said anything about it that night or the fourteen hour flight home. I figured it was just a thank you kiss." The way Gordo's shoulders were slumped, Lizzie knew that it being just a thank you kiss wasn't something he wanted.

"It was a thank you kiss, but it was also so much more." She reached for his hand and Gordo finally turned to look her way.

"Really?"

"Yes! Gordo, the whole time you were so sweet. You covered for me, you got kicked off the trip for me and you made sure I didn't make a fool of myself on stage." Tears came to her eyes. "You've always been there for me, telling me how pretty and great I am. I was an idiot for not seeing what was in front of me my whole life. You."

"So...what are you saying?" He looked incredibly hopeful.

"I did all of this so we could talk about the kiss and I want to be something more...with you. You're my best friend, Gordo. I love you and I'm sorry that it took me awhile to see that I didn't love you like just a friend anymore."

Gordo didn't say anything. Instead, he cupped her cheeks gently and kissed her full on the mouth. It was more of a kiss than the one on the roof, but it was still too chaste for Lizzie. Pulling back, she took the bowl from her lap, moved closer to Gordo and threaded her hand through his dark curls to pull him close once more. This time, she tilted her head to one side and opened her mouth just slightly.

Neither one had much experience kissing. But this was the best kiss they had ever had.

They pulled back again, but Gordo didn't allow them to be apart for long before he was pulling her mouth back to his.

* * *

A little while later, they were lying on the grass of the McGuire backyard and gazed up at the stairs. Their hands were clasped between them. Neither had ever been so happy. Gordo rolled to his side and looked down at Lizzie.

"Can I ask you something?"

She smiled. "Of course."

"Remember when you hosted Ethan's Murder Mystery Party?"

"Yeah." That had been the first time Gordo's feelings for her had been made known. "I remember."

"Remember when we were on your porch and I was going to ask you something before your dad interrupted?" He gulped. "I'd like to try again."

"Okay. Go on." Deep down, she knew what he was about to say and felt giddy. Maybe if her dad hadn't interrupted, they would been together and Rome would have gone much differently. But that was all in the past and they were here now.

"All right. Uh, Lizzie McGuire, will you go out with me?"

"I thought kissing you a little bit ago was an answer to that question." She squeezed his hand. "Yes, I'll go out with you."

Gordo smiled a full smile before leaning down to kiss her some more. His hands were on either side of her head on the grass while both of hers when in his hair. They didn't separate until they heard the front door open and Jo McGuire call out for them. Gordo quickly rolled to his back and placed his hands on his chest. Lizzie did the same.

When Jo and Sam walked out to see the couple, they saw that they were gazing at the stars with inches between them. However, Jo noticed the dreamy look on her daughter's face and knew what must have happened between the two. She was happy for them.

* * *

Lizzie walked Gordo to the door. He had turned down Mr. McGuire's offer of a ride and decided to walk. He didn't live very far from the McGuire house.

Lizzie closed the door behind them and pulled him into a hug. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and smelled her wonderful scent. He still couldn't believe the events of the night. Lizzie's plan hadn't hit him until they had dessert and he had to smile at her inventive way of reminding him of the kiss.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked, arms wrapped around his neck while his hands were on her waist. He was glad that they were the same height now.

"Sure. Maybe we could go to a movie or something."

"Like a date?" Her smile was mischievous.

"Y-Yeah."

"Can't wait, then." She kissed him. God, he didn't know if he would ever get used to her kissing him.

"Great! Uh, I can come by around noon. We can have lunch at the Digital Bean and then, head to the theater."

"Sounds great!" She was running her hands through the hair at the back of his head. "Now, we have about five minutes before my dad opens the door. So, how should we spend it?"

Instead of using words, Gordo just pulled her into another kiss.

He guessed he didn't have to be in Rome to experience a magical romance with the girl he loved.

 **The End**

* * *

 **Hope you all liked this three parter! I had sooooooo much fun writing it and didn't want it to end. I think I will be writing more Lizze/Gordo fics in the future! Thank you all for reading! :)**


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